Hair Flashcards
What distinguishes humans from other primates regarding hair?
Humans are the only primates that are slightly ‘hairless’.
This includes being one of the few hairless mammals alongside elephants, hippos, whales, and walruses.
According to evolution, what is the primary function of hair?
Hair is used for protection against the wind, cold, rain, etc.
Once these factors were no longer threats, humans gradually developed less hair.
What significance does long hair hold for Native people?
Long hair has spiritual significance and creates family and tribal bonds.
Hair grooming is considered an important social ritual.
How do some Native people perceive their hair in relation to their nervous system?
Many see it as an extension of their nervous system that allows them to track/sense danger.
Expert trackers performed poorly with military haircuts compared to when they kept their hair.
What is the impact of cutting hair on Native children taken to residential schools?
Cutting hair strips native beings of their dignity and was done to ‘remove the savagery’ of the children.
This left them feeling defenseless.
What does long hair symbolize in the context of resistance?
Long hair is considered a sign of resistance against adopting white society and values.
What cultural movement in the 1970s normalized long hair?
The Hippy Movement normalized long hair as a common sight in popular culture.
What was a common theme in advertisements from the 1960s?
Ads typically had racial stereotypes to help sell their products.
What historical practice is associated with Indigenous people during wars?
The practice of ‘scalping’.
This practice contributed to the demonization of Indigenous people.
What assertion did British anthropologist Ashley Montagu make in 1942?
There is no such thing as race; only groupings of physical features.
This concept is presented in his novel ‘Man’s Most Dangerous Myth: The Fallacy of Race’.
How are different hair types associated with various ethnic groups?
Straight black hair is associated with Asian people, thick curly hair with black people, and color variations with white people.
What issue arises with the labeling of hair products in stores?
Black hair products are often labeled ‘ethnic hair’, while the main aisle is for ‘normal hair’.
What does the term ‘Dialectics of Black Hair’ refer to?
It refers to how societal trends regarding black hair change over time.
This concept is rooted in Hegelian and Marxian theories.
What is the formula that represents Dialectics?
Thesis (phenomenon) <-> Antithesis (the opposite) = Synthesis (something new).
What does the ‘thesis’ represent in the dialectical model?
The ‘thesis’ is a social phenomenon that suggests the existence of the opposite (antithesis).
What may result from the clashing of tensions between thesis and antithesis?
It may result in obliteration or emergence of something new (synthesis).
The synthesis merges aspects of both sides.
What role did hair play in the identity of African women?
Hair was a part of their individual and ethnic identity.
How did African women bond with each other regarding hair?
Women formed bonds by creating elaborate looks with each other’s hair.
What can hairstyles indicate about a person?
Hairstyles can indicate age, rank, marital status, fertility, wealth, and religion.
In what years were Africans brought to the US as slaves?
1444-1865.
What happened to the hair of enslaved Africans?
Their heads were shaved to make them marketable and rid them of identities.
What term was used to describe the hair of enslaved Africans?
Wooly.
What was the purpose of the Tignon Laws in Louisiana?
To require all non-white women to wear head scarves to identify them as non-white.
